Why is My Hamster Climbing and Biting Its Cage?

Biting is a very normal behaviour for hamsters. They often explore new things with their mouth and need to chew to keep their teeth worn down. Hamsters have incisor teeth that continuously grow throughout their life so chewing helps to prevent them from getting too long.

If they don’t have enough things to explore and chew in their cage, then they may resort to chewing the bars out of boredom. Stress can also be a factor in chewing their cage. When stressed, they are likely to resort to a behaviour that usually soothes them so chewing will make them feel better and if the bars of their cage are easy to access, they are likely to just bite the first thing they see.

While biting is perfectly natural, bar biting on their cage can cause health issues. The bars are metal, usually with a coating that can cause toxicity if they ingest too much. The metal of the bars can also damage their teeth.

Hamsters find vet visits very stressful so if they break their teeth, a trip to the vet can be a very anxiety ridden period. Broken teeth can cause sore gums and infections so to help avoid any costly vet trips, you can give them more appropriate things to wear their teeth down on.

If your hamster seems to have taken a liking to biting their bars, there are a few things you can do to help redirect their attention elsewhere. If they have a lot of plastic and metal in their cage, try replacing or adding toys of different materials to give them options and keep them entertained.

Wooden toys are great for giving them things they can chew on. Wood will help wear down their teeth while it’s soft enough to not do any damage. Wooden bridges like the Beaphar Munching Sticks are great for reshaping and giving them lots of new spaces to explore. It can keep them busy and has lots of extra surfaces to chew on.

The Happy Pet Willow Value Pack is a great mix of different wooden toys for your hamster to get their teeth into. They can roll the balls around and really have some fun while distracting them from chewing on the bars of their cage.

Hamsters are nocturnal so you might notice they’re more active when you’re in bed. It’s important to give them extra activities in the evening so they can burn their energy while you sleep.

A running wheel like the Super Pet Silent Spinner Medium will distract their attention away from boredom chewing and it barely makes a noise as your four legged friend runs on it. It can be a good idea to give them toys just for overnight so they’re novel when you add them to their cage and will entertain them for longer.

Toys like the Boredom Breaker Activity Assault Course for Hamsters have so many different options for climbing and chewing, it should keep them busy while you sleep.

Climbing is a fun way for hamsters to burn off energy. Beyond their bed and feeding area, a hamster’s cage is just one big playground full of things to explore. It’s only natural that they clamber over everything. Their little paws are so dexterous it helps them to grip onto surfaces which makes climbing their bars quite an easy task.

If they’ve explored everything in their cage already and still have lots of energy, they then may start climbing the bars of their cage too.

In some situations where a cage is unsuitable for your hamster, they could be looking to get out. If it’s too small, doesn’t have the right ventilation or if it’s in a draught, they’re more likely to try and find a way out.

Picking the right cage for your hamster includes making sure it’s big enough with plenty to occupy them with inside. If you get their home just right, they won’t need to try to find a way to make the great escape.

Firstly, having the right size cage will help to prevent too much climbing and using their cage as monkey bars. Their space is their safe haven so having plenty of other activities for them to fill their days with will help to deter them away from climbing.

Encouraging their burrowing instinct by having thick bedding will also help them stay away from their cage walls. Let our handy guide help you on choosing the best hamster bedding for your furry friend.

By adding lots of fun climbing toys for your hamster, you can help to deter them from climbing their cage. Climbing toys make great use of the space they have and can make their cage super exciting, especially if you rotate different toys regularly and switch around their placements to give your hamster a frequent change of environment.

Some of the best rated climbing toys for your hamster include:

For everything you need to keep them entertained in their cage and all of your other hamster care essentials, take a look at our wide range of products in store and online.